New York's Apple Becomes AM 970 The Answer

WNYM, New York's 50,000 Watt Talker, Which Is Home to Some of the Hottest Talk Talents in the Nation Is Undergoing Something of a Facelift
(March 12, 2012)

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 03/12/12 -- There is a new lineup, a new attitude, a new name and a new slogan for the Salem Communications' (NASDAQ: SALM) NewsTalk station in NYC effective today. Today the Apple becomes AM 970 The Answer. In an exciting move designed to maximize the effectiveness of each host and their reach, the new lineup will feature Bill Bennett's Morning in America from 5am to 7am, Curtis Sliwa from 7am to 10am, Dennis Miller from 10am to Noon, Dennis Prager from Noon to 3pm, Michael Medved from 3pm to 5pm; Curtis Sliwa and Jeffrey Lichtman from 5pm to 7pm; and Hugh Hewitt from 7pm to 10pm. This is in addition to a host of great sports programming and cutting edge news coverage from the Salem Radio Network and Fox NewsRadio.

The changes were announced by Salem's new VP and Director of the Spoken Word Format, Phil Boyce who joined the company a little over a month ago. "The new name will more accurately reflect who we are and what the benefit is to listening to us. The Answer just popped into my head my first week here, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. We are the answer to so many questions, from 'what happened while you slept?' to 'is it gonna rain?' to 'why am I stuck in traffic?'"

The new imaging will create a hip younger sound for the station, heavy on a New York style attitude. "New Yorkers are slightly jaded, and a little sarcastic, so we wanted the sound of our station to reflect the city we serve," added Boyce. In describing his collaboration with Voiceover talent Lonnie Perkins, Boyce gushed, "I told him to sound like that 'Mayhem Man' commercial for Allstate Insurance." The new imaging includes new top of hour ID's, promos, and show opens.

Boyce wanted to re-arrange the lineup to "put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle" together in the right order. He added, "I am having a blast working with our morning man Curtis Sliwa who was also my morning guy over at WABC for many of those years. He comes back to do a 2 hour live and local show at 5 with Jeffrey Lichtman, a brilliant trial lawyer who I first paired with Curtis back at WABC. The two sound incredible together. It's a strong lineup now, and the Salem Network hosts are all very talented," said Boyce.

Curtis Sliwa, who remains the cornerstone of AM 970's line-up has been a constant voice on New York's AM dial for over two decades, helping New Yorkers get to work and get home from work with his unique blend of wit, pointed political commentary and a knowledge of the city that is second to none. The new line-up also gives Dennis Prager, a proud son of Brooklyn, an extra hour each day to offer even more of his intellectual take on both the cultural and political issues of the day.

Sean O'Neill, AM 970's General Manager, stated, "This relaunch offers New Yorkers the best live and local talk in the market. When you combine that with the resources of both Fox News and the Salem Radio Network, you get a terrific formula for giving our listeners what they need most: news, opinion and passion!" O'Neill, who has presided over relaunches of radio stations multiple times before, expressed his happiness that Curtis Sliwa was such a crucial element of the new station, "I've never worked with a talent like Curtis Sliwa before. He has boundless energy when it comes to sales, programming and promotion. Walking the streets with him, you get the sense of exactly how much of a New York icon he really is."

About Salem Communications

Salem Communications Corporation is the largest commercial U.S. radio broadcasting company that provides programming targeted at audiences interested in Christian and conservative opinion radio content, as measured by the number of stations and audience coverage. Upon completion of all announced transactions, the company will own and/or operate a national portfolio of 96 radio stations in 37 markets, including 60 stations in 22 of the top 25 markets. We also program the Family Talk  Christian-themed talk format on SiriusXM Channel 131.

Salem also owns Salem Radio Network, a national radio network that syndicates talk, news and music programming to approximately 2,000 affiliated radio stations and Salem Media Representatives, a national media advertising sales firm with offices across the country.

In addition to its radio broadcast business, Salem owns an Internet and a publishing division. Salem Web Network is a provider of online Christian and conservative-themed content and streaming and includes websites such as Christian faith focused Christianity.com, Questions and Answers about Jesus Christ at Jesus.org, Christian living focused Crosswalk.com®, online Bible at BibleStudyTools.com, Christian videos at GodTube.com, a leading website providing church media at WorshipHouseMedia.com and Christian radio ministries online at OnePlace.com. Additionally Salem owns conservative news leader Townhall.com® and conservative political blog HotAir.com, providing conservative commentary, news and blogging. Salem Publishing circulates Christian and conservative magazines such as Homecoming® The Magazine, YouthWorker Journal, The Singing News, FaithTalk Magazine, Preaching and Townhall Magazine. Xulon Press is a provider of self publishing services targeting the Christian audience.